The Nicest Thing in the Partnership
by hilarycantdraw
Summary: Post-finale oneshot that has grown to a three parter in which I'm attempting to fix the finale the way the writers probably won't.
1. Chapter 1

**So I realize I haven't updated in awhile. Thank my finals for that. Then between moving back home, and practically sleeping for almost an entire week after finals and moving were done I simply haven't gotten a lot of writing done, and while trying to work on my other stories this came out. Because really, that finale was nuts. I had to get this one shot out before I could focus on anything else, but I promise my other stories will be updated by the end of the week! Enjoy!**

Pregnant. She was definitely pregnant; the blood test had confirmed it. Of course the at home test she had bought had confirmed it too, but home tests could be wrong, she knew that from Angela's pregnancy scare. Blood didn't lie, though. She had been worried since she had missed her period at the beginning of the previous week. As Temperance Brennan walked back to her car a thousand different emotions ran through her head. There was annoyance with herself for not always being diligent with taking her birth control pills, but she hadn't had sex in so long she hadn't been worrying about it. There was some annoyance there for Booth too and his damn super sperm. They had only slept together that once and apparently that's all it took.

She was afraid too. Afraid of rejection, afraid that maybe he would be angry with her, though really they were both to blame. She was afraid that she would be a terrible mother; she really didn't know the first thing about children. She was scared most of all because she had no idea how this would turn out. She never did anything without careful planning and plenty of logic and now her entire future would be changed forever.

Somewhere behind the fear was relief. She was relieved that she knew it was Booth's child because he was a wonderful father and she knew in spite of her fear that he wouldn't leave her. They had been through a lot together, he hadn't left her yet, and she trusted that he wouldn't leave her now. Maybe Hodgins was right all those years ago when he said that she had faith in Booth, but she had plenty of evidence to back it up.

And somewhere underneath all the other emotions was happiness. It was small and unsure but it was definitely there. After all, she had wanted this more than anything a few years ago, and she had never really stopped wanting it. Yes, under all the uncertainty she was definitely happy.

More than anything, she wanted to talk to Angela and get some advice on how to tell Booth, but even Brennan knew that the father was supposed to be the first person to know. So she would have to wait to talk to Angela, but she was glad that she would have her friend to talk to for advice, it made the whole situation seem slightly less scary. She would have to figure out how to tell Booth on her own, and she was worried that she would say something wrong. Things between them had been… different. They weren't necessarily better or worse, just almost intangibly different. She had brought this up to Angela, who had promptly pointed out that the difference was probably from finally relieving so many years of pent up sexual tension. It finally seems as though they were comfortable with each other again for the first time since their return to DC.

They hadn't had sex again since that night because the act had been so impulsive and emotional that they were worried that it would ruin their newly re-established friendship, so after that they had decided to take things slowly and let a romantic relationship develop more naturally between them. And it was developing, slowly but surely, and Brennan had found that she actually liked taking things slowly, which is something she had never tried before. But now… she didn't know what happened now.

A few days later when they had lunch with her father even he noticed that things seemed different between the two of them. Of course, they denied it, because that's what they always did, but really, Brennan hoped that soon 'just partners' would be metaphorically gone from her vocabulary permanently.

The entire case she had trouble focusing. Normally she loved undercover work. She loved becoming someone else, if only for a little while. This time her heart simply wasn't in it. She rarely had trouble compartmentalizing, but she spent the entire case thinking about the fact that she was going to have a baby. Then there was that terrible little girl, and she kept worrying that her own child would turn out like that.

She voiced her worries to her father and pretended that she was simply trying to remain 'in character' and she knew from the look he gave her that he knew something was wrong. He also knew better than to ask any more questions because she wouldn't answer them anyhow.

Her anxiety only got worse after the case as she sat in the hospital waiting room while Angela gave birth. How could she escape her worries while in a maternity ward? Once Hodgins came out carrying Michael, she slipped into the room to talk to Angela and she asked the first question that she thought of.

"What was it like?"

Angela's gushing response, and the way that she still seemed to be glowing even after hours of labor, gave Brennan hope. She knew that she had to tell Booth soon.

As she and Booth walked home together, she could feel the fear creeping back, overriding the hopeful feeling that had taken root in her chest. As they walked, she knew that she was rambling, she was nervous. She needed to gauge his possible reaction, so she pinned all of her own anxieties on Hodgins and Angela. With his insistence that having a baby was the happiest day of their friends' lives, and the concern in his voice at her unusual behavior, she decided to tell him.

"I'm… I'm pregnant." She said, relieved to have finally said it aloud. "You're the father," she added quickly and waited nervously for his reaction.

For a moment, he stared at her with a look of shock on his face. Then slowly he smiled the biggest smile that she had ever seen cross his face. As the relief coursed through her, she couldn't help but smile back.

"Really?" He asked enthusiastically.

She nodded, "I went to the doctor's a few days ago to confirm it." His smile widened, if that was even possible, and he pulled her into a tight hug and she relaxed against him. "So you aren't mad?" She couldn't help asking.

"Of course I'm not mad," he reassured her. "I'm surprised, which you were too I'm sure, but this isn't a bad thing. You're okay with this, right?" He pulled back to look intently at her.

"Yes, part of me is even happy about it. Of course, that part is much better now that I know you're happy about it too. I'll admit that I'm nervous and even a little scared, but I'm also excited." She gave him a small smile.

"Everyone's scared when they have a kid Bones, it shows that you care. We'll be fine, we have each other and a great support network, everything will be great." He wrapped an arm around her and they began walking again.

"I'm worried that I won't make a good mother," she said quietly, "At least you already know you're a good father."

"Bones, you'll be a great mother. I even have the evidence to back it up," he added before she could protest. "I've seen you with Parker, and your nieces, and baby Andy, and they all adore you. Plus, I'm sure that Ange would be more than happy to let you babysit to get some practice."

"I guess you're right," she smiled. "So we're going to have a baby," she couldn't keep the happiness out of her voice as she said it. He grinned down at her and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"We're going to have a baby," he echoed as the kiss ended. They stood there with their foreheads pressed together, grinning stupidly at each other for a long time. As long as they were together, they could make it through anything.

**If anyone is interested I could add a second chapter from Booth's POV, let me know if that's something you'd like to see!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Only one person asked to see this (thanks SouthunLady!) and one person wanting to see it is enough for me! Plus, once I started thinking about this I literally couldn't get it out of my head. Literally. I actually woke up with one of these lines stuck in my head and it grew from there. Enjoy! (Oh, and I meant to mention last time that the first part of the title is named after the song "Nicest Thing" by Kate Nash. Also I lied in the AN for the first part, none of the chapters for my other pieces are quite ready yet. Those last two episodes really threw me off, but I'm definitely still working on them. I'm just working at a snail's pace…) **

As they walked down the deserted city sidewalk Booth surreptitiously watched his partner with growing concern. She had been acting strange all day and he was afraid that she was preparing to run. Yes, they had been taking things slowly since that one emotional morning, but maybe that wasn't enough. Brennan had made progress since they had first met, that was undeniable, but he knew how hard it was for someone to truly change. He thought back to her father's comment earlier after he had whacked their perp with his cane, how he swore he saw the man's intent to run in his eyes. What Booth had seen in Brennan's eyes all day was uncertainty and in all the year's he had known her uncertainty had always led to a foreign country.

He was scared. He knew that he was acting a little short towards her, but she was making him nervous. He didn't want her to run again, but he knew that if she did, this time he would chase her. Now that he'd had a taste of _them_ he never wanted to go back to 'just partners' again. They'd only spent the one bittersweet night together so far, but he knew that he'd give almost anything to wake up next to her every morning for the rest of their lives. He loved hearing her soft breathing next to him, feeling her legs tangled with his, the way she looked completely vulnerable while she slept. What he loved the most, though, was how she had sprawled so comfortably across his bed, claiming her spot there as she had claimed so many other things in his life. Half his order of fries when they ate at the diner. His passenger seat, which always seemed so empty without her. His heart, which had been hers for years, whether she knew it or not.

They continued to walk, their normally easy banter filled with nervous tension. He wondered what had caused her sudden unease. Was it her father's comment about them acting differently? Was it something to do with Angela having her baby? Or was it them pretending to be engaged while they were undercover? He feared that it was the third option. They had pretended to be a couple in the past, but this time it was different. This time it wasn't so far from the truth of their relationship. Maybe she was worried about his expectations for their relationship. How could that be it, though? He knew her, and she knew that. He knew that she wasn't ready to get married and she might never be. He didn't care about that, all he wanted was her, that's really all he ever wanted. Sure, he hadn't made that clear enough in the past, but she had to know that by now, right?

The whole day had been so strange. It was a weird case, even by their standards. It had been stressful without Angela and Hodgins in the lab, the squints just weren't as efficient without their entire team and it was their first experience at how difficult Ange's pregnancy leave would probably be. Normally they had fun undercover, but he knew Brennan's heart hadn't been in it this time, so his hadn't been either. She was distant, his feet hurt, they were in horrible disguises, and they both just wanted to be at the hospital with their friends. He was just thankful it had wrapped up so quickly.

They had been walking for awhile now, and she was rambling. That worried him, she never rambled. He was trying his best to respond normally, but his worry finally took over.

"What?" He finally asks. He can't figure out what his next move will be until he knows what's wrong. Or which airline to purchase a ticket from.

She stops and looks up at him with wide eyes and he can't quite figure out what the emotion is that he sees in them. "I'm…" she pauses for a nervous laugh. "I'm pregnant."

That was definitely not what he was expecting.

"You're the father," she adds quickly, and for a moment he is stunned. No, he hadn't been expecting this at all. She wasn't running. She was having his baby. Their baby. _Their baby_. He couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face at that thought. She was pregnant. With his baby. And she was still on US soil. Still with him. And she was smiling back at him.

"Really?" He can't help asking. He wants to hear her say it again to make sure that he isn't having some wonderful dream.

She nods, "I went to the doctor's a few days ago to confirm it." He smiles even more brightly at her perfectly logical answer as it reminds him exactly how much he loves her. He reaches out and pulls her into a tight hug and he feels her relax against him. It seems like the first time she's been relaxed since they saw Max at the diner earlier that day.

"So you aren't mad?" She asks as she hugs him back.

"Of course I'm not mad." He replied, surprised that she would even suggest it. Had she thought he would blame her for this wonderful accident that they were obviously both responsible for? "I'm surprised, which you were too I'm sure, but this isn't a bad thing." He put as much feeling as he could into those words. Finally her behavior made sense. "You're okay with this, right?" He knew that she hated to be taken by surprise, so even though she seemed happy he had to make sure.

"Yes, part of me is even happy about it. Of course, that part is much better now that I know you're happy about it too. I'll admit that I'm nervous and even a little scared, but I'm also excited." She smiled up at him, and he could feel his heart melt a little at the look in her eyes.

He automatically began to reassure her, "Everyone's scared when they have a kid Bones, it shows that you care. We'll be fine, we have each other and a great support network, everything will be great." He slings a comforting arm around her shoulders and they begin to walk again. As they walk he finds his thoughts straying towards the future and he knows he is still beaming like an idiot.

In his head, he sees him and his Bones going to doctors appointments, getting fuzzy ultrasound pictures. Standing together, painting a nursery's walls pastel colors. Laying on the couch after a day of work while he rubs her swollen feet. He can see them holding a baby, much as Hodgins and Angela were when they left the hospital barely an hour earlier. As much as he'd love to give Parker a brother, and as much as he knows that he would love their child unconditionally (though he was pretty sure he might already), he would like to have a daughter. He can picture them having a daughter with Bones' big blue eyes. He won't even mention that though, knowing he'd receive a lecture about dominant and recessive genes. He knew that it was more than likely that their baby would have his brown eyes, but a man could daydream, right?

Suddenly her quiet voice pulls him out of his reverie, "I'm worried that I won't make a good mother," she confesses. "At least you already know you're a good father."

He feels more melting heart along with a surge of pride as he hears her vulnerability, reminding him that she trusts him implicitly. "Bones, you'll be a great mother." He can see she's about to interrupt, so he rushes on with something he knows she can't argue against. Logic. "I even have the evidence to back it up. I've seen you with Parker, and your nieces, and baby Andy, and they all adore you. Plus, I'm sure that Ange would be more than happy to let you babysit to get some practice."

She pauses for a moment and he can practically see her mind processing his evidence. "I guess you're right," she finally concedes with a smile. "So we're going to have a baby," he can hear the happiness and wonder in her voice, and the wide grin plasters itself back on his face as he pulls her to him for a deep kiss that is full of joy.

He pulls back slightly, leaving their foreheads touching, "We're going to have a baby." He repeats her earlier words with the same glee, and they stand for a long moment with huge smiles on their faces as they share their excitement, knowing that no matter what the future held, they'd get through it together.


	3. Chapter 3

**So… this fic has taken on a life of its own… this could be the last chapter or I could continue, I haven't decided yet so feel free to give me your opinion. This third part came to be when I stopped to think about how many issues there really are in the Booth/Brennan relationship. These are issues that need to be dealt with and the writers had better confront them. It took me days to figure out how I would work through these problems, so I hope you enjoy this.**

The time for beating around the bush was over. Brennan knew that as she and Booth continued to walk towards his apartment. It would be far too easy for them to fall back into their old pattern of avoiding difficult topics until one of them exploded and the fallout invariably caused the other to pull away. She needed to air her feelings now, before they had time to eat away at her while she and Booth played their 'everything's fine' game. She waited until they were back at his apartment, sitting comfortably on his couch, before she began.

She wasn't sure how to start, she knew she was terrible at easing into things. After a minute of semi-awkward silence, she began the only way she knew how, with complete bluntness. "I'm in love with you Booth. I have been for years. That night in front of the Hoover, I was scared. I don't know how to be in a relationship, I thought you would understand that because you're really the only person who has ever understood me."

Booth stared at her with wide eyes, seemingly stunned into silence. So she continued, "When you said you'd have to move on, when you didn't even try to fight, it was heart-crushing. That's why I went to Maluku, I needed to gain perspective, sort through my feelings." She closed her eyes for a moment, trying her hardest not to cry. Eventually she gave up and allowed the tears to flow freely. "While I was in Maluku I realized how much I missed you, how much I wanted to have a real relationship with you, a life with you. I realized that I did want thirty, forty, fifty years, but I couldn't tell you in a letter or on the phone. I was so happy when we came home months earlier than planned.

"And you know what happens next. I came home ready for a reunion that was worthy of a tear-jerking romance novel, and you came home to tell me that you had moved on. Just as you said you would. You have no idea how much it hurt seeing you and her together. Then we had the Lauren Eames case. Sweets was right, I over-identified with the victim. I couldn't help it. For the first time since we started our partnership I was staying at the lab until dawn and no one seemed to notice. I was so afraid that I could disappear and nobody would care. And when you followed me, we were in your car and you asked if you could call anyone for me, but who would you have called? That's what hurt the most. You are the only person I had ever trusted with my emotions and suddenly I was too much of a burden for you.

"The night that Hannah left, you have no idea how close I came to walking out the door of that bar, thereby giving up on you the same way you had given up on me. I couldn't, though. I was perfectly willing to let things progress naturally, but that's not enough anymore. I need to know now how you honestly feel about me. I can't have you promising me a lifetime, only to move on again in a matter of months. I know you loved Hannah, you wanted to marry her, and she left you, but I am not willing to be your consolation prize if she was the one you really wanted to be with. I really don't want to give you an ultimatum, but you gave me one not long ago so I don't feel too bad. My cards are all on the table, Booth, and I want all or nothing. I refuse to remain in the limbo of 'just partners' while I watch you continue to move on with another pretty blonde who isn't socially awkward." She looked at him with tears flowing down her cheeks; he still seemed frozen in place. "I'm so scared, Booth," she whispered, her voice full of desperation.

He finally reached out and took her hands in his, "Wow Bones. That's a whole lot of heart. Why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?"

She looked at him with disbelief, "You didn't want to hear it. You said you were angry and I didn't want to push you. I was afraid that if I pushed too hard you would leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, Bones. If you're asking for all or nothing, I'm all in. I may have tried to move on, but do you remember what I told you during the case with the polygamists? There's only one person you love the most, Bones, and you're it for me. This past year was a mistake. I should have … I don't even know anymore. I should have made sure you knew how much I care about you. If you let me, I'll never let a day go by again without proving my love for you."

She smiled, "I think I'd like that. As long as that doesn't mean you'll be ridiculously overprotective." She leveled a glare at him and he laughed, pulling her into a warm hug.

"No promises, Bones. Chances are that I'll be worse than Hodgins was while Ange was pregnant." He kissed the top of her head as he continued to laugh.

Brennan rolled her eyes, "I suppose I'll have to accept that. however, I can't promise not to argue with you about it."

"I would expect nothing less, Bones." He grinned at her and pulled her in for a playful kiss. As soon as he pulled away she stifled a yawn. "I'm tired, too Bones, let's go to bed."

She wanted to continue their discussion, things weren't fixed yet, but she was tired and the thought of falling asleep in his arms was far too tempting, "Okay, as long as we can finish talking tomorrow." She followed him to his bedroom and he tossed her a t-shirt to wear to bed.

"Of course," he agreed. "It will be good to get everything sorted out before we have to restart sessions with Sweets."

She paused her changing, "What?"

"Well you don't think the FBI will let us remain partners in our current situation without having to talk to Sweets, do you?"

She frowned as she climbed into bed, "I didn't think about that. It's worth it though," she decided after thinking for a moment.

Booth flashed her his charm smile as he joined her under the covers, "I think so, too."

Brennan hesitated for a minute before snuggling into his arms. "Goodnight, Booth," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his chest, directly over the scar from where he had taken a bullet for her.

"Goodnight, Bones," he kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms more tightly around her.

**As I said I may keep going or I might leave this one here, opinions are welcome! **


End file.
